FIGS. 6A and 6B show two conventional strikers, respectively.
The striker shown in FIG. 6A includes a mounting plate portion 121 which is fixed to a car body and a base plate portion 122 which is formed (bent) upright relative to the mounting plate portion 121 by a bending process. A rod portion 123 is formed at one end (the right end as viewed in FIG. 6A) of the base plate portion 129 by making a through-hole 122 in the base plate portion 122 so that the rod portion 123 is used as an engaging portion engageable with a groove of an associated hook.
The striker shown in FIG. 6B includes two base plate portions 222 and 222′ which overlie each other and a rod portion 223 which is formed at one end (the upper end as viewed in FIG. 6B) of each of the two base plate portions 222 and 222′ by making a through-hole 229 in the two base plate portions 222 and 222′, so that the rod portion 223 is used as an engaging portion engageable with a groove of an associated hook. The two base plate portions 222 and 222′ are formed upright relative to two mounting plate portions 221 and 221′ of the striker, respectively, by a bending process. In addition, the two base plate portions 222 and 222′ are not separate plate members; the two base plate portions 222 and 222′ are formed by bending a seamless plate along a portion thereof which is formed as the aforementioned rod portion 223.
Although substantially the same as the striker shown in FIG. 6B, a striker having two base plate portions (which respectively correspond to the two base plate portions 222 and 222′) which are formed from separate plates is known in the art (this type of striker is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese unexamined patent publication H07-229345). In this conventional striker, the two separate plates that overlie each other are fixed to each other by spot welding.
To engage and disengage the striker with/from the groove of the associated hook smoothly, it is desirable that the rod portion be rounded off and have a large thickness (e.g., 3 to 7 millimeters, desirably 4 to 6 millimeters depending on factors such as the inner diameter of the groove of the associated hook). Namely, it is desirable that the rod portion have a round shape such as a circular shape in cross section (section taken along a plane orthogonal to the direction of the length of the rod portion) and that the rod portion have a large thickness (diameter).